The 2024 Geelong Football Club season was the club's 160th season playing

Australian rules football Australian football, also called Australian rules football or Aussie rules, or more simply football or footy, is a contact sport played between two teams of 18 players on an Australian rules football playing field, oval field, often a modified ...

, with the club competing in their 125th season in the

Australian Football League The Australian Football League (AFL) is the pre-eminent professional sports, professional competition of Australian rules football. It was originally named the Victorian Football League (VFL) and was founded in 1896 as a breakaway competition ...

(AFL). Geelong continued to field a women's team in the

AFL Women's AFL Women's (AFLW) is Australia's national semi-professional Australian rules football in Australia, Australian rules football competition for women's Australian rules football, female players. The 2017 AFL Women's season, first season of the l ...

(AFLW) competition, and men's and women's reserves team in the

Victorian Football League The Victorian Football League (VFL) is an Australian rules football competition in Australia operated by the Australian Football League (AFL) as a second-tier, regional, semi-professional competition. It includes teams from clubs based in east ...

(VFL) and the

VFL Women's VFL Women's (VFLW) is the major state-level women's Australian rules football league in Victoria (Australia), Victoria. The league initially comprised the six premier division clubs and the top four division 1 clubs from the now-defunct Victori ...

(VFLW) respectively.

Club news

Announced in April and May, followed by a gala dinner held in June; the club elevated

2011 The year marked the start of a Arab Spring, series of protests and revolutions throughout the Arab world advocating for democracy, reform, and economic recovery, later leading to the depositions of world leaders in Tunisia, Egypt, and Yemen ...

premiership captain

Cameron Ling Cameron Ling (born 27 February 1981) is a former Australian rules footballer and three-time premiership player who played for the Geelong Football Club in the Australian Football League (AFL). A tagger at and , Ling was also a premiership-win ...

to legend status in the Geelong Football Club Hall of Fame; also inducting two-time premiership players Harry Taylor and

Travis Varcoe Travis Varcoe (born 10 April 1988) is a retired Australian rules footballer who played in the Australian Football League (AFL) for the Geelong Football Club from 2006 to 2014, and for the Collingwood Football Club from 2015 to 2020. He currentl ...

as members. Dual premiership and current coach Chris Scott was also added to the Hall of Fame. In late May it was confirmed that Geelong Football Club president Craig Drummond will step down from the board at the annual general meeting to be held in December. Drummond had been president since taking over from Colin Carter in 2020, and had been a board member since 2011. Grant McCabe was nominated to replace Drummond as president, with fellow board member and vice president Diane Taylor stepping down from the board in early June after being overlooked to replace Drummond. Renee Garing and

Kate Darby Kate Darby (born 18 November 1990) is an Australian rules footballer who played for the Carlton Football Club in the AFL Women's competition (AFLW). She was drafted by Carlton with the club's sixteenth selection and the one hundred and twenty s ...

were also made life members of the club at the dinner celebrating the Geelong Football Club Hall of Fame inductees, the first women's players to be afforded the honour. Additionally,

Patrick Dangerfield Patrick Dangerfield (born 5 April 1990) is a professional Australian rules footballer playing for the Geelong Football Club in the Australian Football League (AFL). He previously played for the Adelaide Football Club from 2008 to 2015. He has s ...

, Tom Stewart,

Zach Tuohy Zach Tuohy is an Irish former professional Australian rules footballer who played for the Geelong Football Club and Carlton Football Club in the Australian Football League (AFL). Tuohy grew up in Portlaoise, County Laois, Ireland, and played ...

, Rhys Stanley,

Jed Bews Jed Bews (born 14 December 1993) is an Australian rules footballer for the Geelong Football Club in the Australian Football League (AFL). He was drafted with the 86th pick in the 2011 AFL Draft under the father–son rule. His father, Andrew ...

, Brandan Parfitt,

Mark O'Connor Mark O'Connor (born August 5, 1961) is an American fiddle player, composer, guitarist, and mandolinist whose music combines bluegrass, country, jazz and classical. A three-time Grammy Award winner, he has won six Country Music Association Mu ...

, Jack Henry,

Jake Kolodjashnij Jake Kolodjashnij (, "collar-JAZZ-knee"; born 9 August 1995) is a professional Australian rules footballer, currently playing for the Geelong Football Club in the Australian Football League. Early life Kolodjashnij grew up in Tasmania where he ...

, Tom Atikins, and

Gryan Miers Gryan Miers (born 30 March 1999) is an Australian rules footballer playing for in the Australian Football League (AFL). A small forward, he played in the TAC Cup before he was recruited by Geelong with pick 57 in the 2017 national draft. Mier ...

were afforded life member status. Former club president Colin Carter was awarded the RJ Hickey Award for his service to Australian football stretching back to

1985 The year 1985 was designated as the International Youth Year by the United Nations. Events January * January 1 ** The Internet's Domain Name System is created. ** Greenland withdraws from the European Economic Community as a result of a n ...

. The club also signed up 90,798 members an increase of over 8,000 from last season's record tally. Financially, the club posted a net profit of , with the completion of the Joel Selwood Stand assisting with increases to gross revenue.

AFL team

Season summary

It was the club's 14th AFL season under senior coach Chris Scott, with

continuing as club captain. With the unveiling of the

Joel Selwood Joel Anthony Selwood (born 26 May 1988) is a former Australian rules footballer who played for the Geelong Football Club in the Australian Football League (AFL). He is a four-time premiership player ( including one time as captain), a six-ti ...

Stand and the completion of stadium redevelopments, the crowd of 39,352 for the Geelong's home opener against was the largest crowd for a VFL/AFL match at

GMHBA Stadium Kardinia Park (also known as GMHBA Stadium due to naming rights) is a sporting and entertainment venue located within Kardinia Park, South Geelong, in the Australian state of Victoria. The stadium, which is owned and operated by the Kardini ...

since 1981. In contrast to

2023 Catastrophic natural disasters in 2023 included the Lists of 21st-century earthquakes, 5th-deadliest earthquake of the 21st century 2023 Turkey–Syria earthquakes, striking Turkey and Syria, leaving up to 62,000 people dead; Cyclone Freddy ...

, Geelong started the season with three straight wins, celebrating Tom Hawkins' 350th AFL match with a victory over at the

MCG The Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG), also known locally as the 'G, is a sports stadium located in Yarra Park, Melbourne, Victoria. Founded and managed by the Melbourne Cricket Club, it is the largest stadium in the Southern Hemisphere, the el ...

on Easter Monday. That match was interrupted by an approximately 40 minute delay before the start of the final quarter due to nearby lightning. The winning streak extended to seven matches, the club's best start to the season since the 2013 season. The attendance of 87,775 at the club's round 7 designated home match at the

Melbourne Cricket Ground The Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG), also known locally as the 'G, is a sports stadium located in Yarra Park, Melbourne, Victoria. Founded and managed by the Melbourne Cricket Club, it is the largest stadium in the Southern Hemisphere, the Lis ...

was the highest in club history. The club's four match losing streak from rounds 8 to 11 was the first time the team had lost four straight matches during the tenure of Chris Scott. In round 12, club stalwart Tom Hawkins broke former captain

's 355-game record for the most number of matches played for the club. In the final round of the home and away season, the team climbed to third position on the ladder with a dominant 93-point win over West Coast, headlined by

Jeremy Cameron Jeremy Cameron (born 1 April 1993) is a professional footballer with the Geelong Football Club in the Australian Football League (AFL). He previously played for the Greater Western Sydney Giants from 2010 to 2020. Cameron has List of VFL/AFL p ...

's career high of nine goals for the match. At the AFL Awards in late August, Oliver Dempsey won the Ron Evans Medal as the

AFL Rising Star The AFL Rising Star is an Australian rules football award presented annually to the player adjudged the best young player in the Australian Football League (AFL) for the year. It was first presented in the 1993 season, and was won by Nathan Bu ...

to become the second Geelong player to win that award after

2007 2007 was designated as the International Heliophysical Year and the International Polar Year. Events January * January 1 **Bulgaria and Romania 2007 enlargement of the European Union, join the European Union, while Slovenia joins the Eur ...

was selected in the

2024 All-Australian team The 2024 All-Australian team represents the best performed Australian Football League (AFL) players during the 2024 season. It was announced in August as a complete Australian rules football team of 22 players. The team is honorary and does no ...

at centre-half forward after kicking 58 goals for the season to finish second in the

Coleman Medal The Coleman Medal is an Australian rules football award given annually to the Australian Football League (AFL) player who kicks the most Laws of Australian rules football#Scoring, goals in the Australian Football League#Premiership season, home- ...

standings.

Pre-season

Geelong started the season with a match simulation game against at

Ikon Park Princes Park (also known as Ikon Park under naming rights) is an Australian rules football ground located inside the Princes Park precinct in the inner Melbourne suburb of Carlton North. Officially the Carlton Recreation Ground, it is a hi ...

on 22 February, emerging as 17-point winners 10.13 (74) to 8.8 (56) in sweltering conditions.

Cameron Guthrie Cameron Guthrie (born 19 August 1992) is an Australian rules footballer for the Geelong Football Club in the Australian Football League (AFL). AFL career Guthrie was drafted with the 23rd selection in the 2010 AFL draft after playing for the C ...

suffered a quad injury in the opening minutes of the match, not returning to the field for the rest of the day. Geelong played an official practice match as part of the AFL's Community Series against at

on 1 March 2024, scoring five goals in the last quarter to come from behind to win 11.17 (83) to 10.11 (71).

Coaching staff

Chris Scott continued as the club's men's senior coach for a fourteenth season, having signed a two-year contract extension until the end of the 2024 season. Assistant coach

Shaun Grigg Shaun Grigg (born 19 April 1988) is a former professional Australian rules footballer who played 171 games for and 43 games for over a 13-year AFL career. He was a premiership player with Richmond in 2017, an Under 18 All Australian and twice ...

departed the club following the 2023 season, having joined the . Development coach

Josh Jenkins Joshua Jenkins (born 8 February 1989) is a former professional Australian rules footballer. He last played for the Geelong Football Club in the Australian Football League (AFL). He previously played for the Adelaide Football Club from 2012 to ...

also departed the club, as well as fellow development coach

Daisy Pearce Daisy Pearce (born 27 May 1988) is a former Australian rules footballer who played for the Melbourne Football Club#AFL Women's team, Melbourne Football Club in the AFL Women's (AFLW) and is the current AFLW senior coach of the West Coast Eagle ...

who was appointed head coach of the

West Coast Eagles (AFL Women's) The West Coast Eagles (abbreviated as Eagles) is an AFL Women's team based in Perth, Western Australia. The team is associated with the West Coast Eagles (AFL Men's) team and in September 2017 was granted a license by the AFL to compete in the ...

Matthew Egan Matthew Egan (born 10 July 1983) is a former Australian rules footballer who played for the Geelong Football Club in the Australian Football League (AFL). He served as interim senior coach at the Essendon Football Club after the resignation of ...

also left the club after being hired by the , with

Nigel Lappin Nigel Lappin (born 21 June 1976) is a former professional Australian rules footballer. Lappin is currently serving as an assistant coach with the Geelong Football Club. Playing career Lappin was born in the locally based regional hospital at C ...

replacing him as the head of player development. Former Geelong player and life member James Rahilly joined the coaching staff as an assistant coach, returning to the club after three seasons with , and joining Rahilly in returning to Geelong, former Geelong captain and 2007 premiership ruckman Steven King joined the coaching staff as an assistant coach. King had been the interim head coach at the during the 2023 season.

Playing list

Changes

Statistics

''Updated to end of season''

Results

Ladder

Awards

League awards

* Tom Wills Award: ** Oliver Dempsey (Round 16 vs ) *

All-Australian The All-Australian team is an all-star team of Australian rules football in Australia, Australian rules footballers, selected by a panel at the end of each season. It represents a complete team, including an interchange bench, of the best-perfo ...

: **

(Forward) * Rising Star: **Winner: Oliver Dempsey (52 votes – nominated in Round 1) ** Lawson Humphries (Nominated in Round 18) * AFLPA

22 Under 22 team The 22 Under 22 team (stylised as 22under22) is an honorary representative Australian rules football team created by the AFL Players' Association that seeks to recognise the best young talent in the Australian Football League (AFL) and AFL Wome ...

: ** Oliver Dempsey (Forward) **

Max Holmes Max Holmes (born 29 August 2002) is an Australian rules footballer who plays for Geelong in the Australian Football League (AFL). Geelong traded their future first round pick with Richmond to secure Pick 20 in the 2020 AFL draft to select Holm ...

(Defence)

Club Awards

Carji Greeves Medal The Carji Greeves Medal is a name given in recent decades to an Australian rules football award given to the player(s) adjudged best and fairest for the Geelong Football Club for the season. The voting system has changed a number of times. Fo ...

(164 votes) *Best Young Player Award: Oliver Dempsey *

Tom Harley Thomas Harley (born 18 July 1978) is a former professional Australian rules footballer who played for the Port Adelaide Football Club and the Geelong Football Club in the Australian Football League (AFL). A defender at and , Harley is a two ...

Best Clubman: Tom Atkins & Tom Hawkins *Carter Family Community Champion Award: Tom Hawkins

VFL team

Season summary

Team stalwart Dan Capiron was appointed captain, with Brayden Ham as vice-captain. Ham would step away from VFL-level football in the first month of the season. The club finished in fourth position on the ladder after the home-and-away season, with 12 wins and a draw from their 18 matches. The team would use 55 players across the season, with captain Capiron the only player to appear in every match. In the first week of the finals, Geelong were defeated by minor premiers by 21 points in blustery conditions at Avalon Airport Oval. The following week the team was eliminated from the finals after losing by 29 points against the

Southport Sharks The Southport Australian Football Club, nicknamed the Sharks, is an Australian rules football club based on the Gold Coast, Queensland, that competes in the Victorian Football League (VFL). Southport is one of the most successful football clu ...

. Club senior record games holder Tom Hawkins made his first appearance for the VFL team since the 2011 season, returning from injury to kick a goal in what was his final appearance at

. Mitch Hardie was named to the VFL Team of the Year, earning a position on the half-forward flank. Hardie kicked 14 goals for the season and averaged 29 disposals per match. Ted Clohesy had been named to the initial squad in consideration for the VFL Team of the Year, but missed out on final selection. Hardie also finished fourth in voting for the VFL's J.J. Liston Trophy with 19 votes, while winning the club's VFL best and fairest award.

Results

Ladder

Awards

* VFL Team of the Year: Mitch Hardie (forward)

Club Awards

* Best and Fairest: Mitch Hardie (223 votes) * Little Vic Award (Best first year player): Patrick Hughes

AFL Women's team

Season summary

Meg McDonald continued as captain, with

Nina Morrison Nina Morrison (born 13 December 2000) is an Australian rules footballer playing for the Geelong Football Club in the AFL Women's (AFLW). A midfielder who won multiple accolades at junior level and played in the VFL Women's (VFLW) as a teenager ...

and Becky Webster as vice-captains. Three-time

best and fairest In Australian sport, the best and fairest award recognises the player(s) adjudged to have had the best performance in a game or over a season for a given sporting club or competition. The awards are sometimes dependent on not receiving a suspensi ...

winner Amy McDonald joined the leadership group for the first time, alongside

Chantel Emonson Chantel Emonson (born 8 May 1993) is an Australian rules footballer playing for in the AFL Women's (AFLW). She played cricket at state and national levels before competing in the VFL Women's. Emonson previously played for and was one of Melbou ...

and Mikayla Bowen. After making the preliminary finals in 2023, Geelong were again expected to make the finals in 2024. However the team got off to a slow start, only winning one of their opening six matches, although they did earn two premiership points from a draw against 2023 grand finalists . Forward

Chloe Scheer Chloe Scheer (born 7 October 1999) is an Australian rules footballer playing for the Geelong Football Club in the AFL Women's (AFLW). Early life and state football Scheer was a talented underage cricketer, classed as a top order batswoman. Sh ...

missed the entire season due to injury, while replacement player Lilly Pearce who was expected to fill the void from the retired Erin Hoare also didn't play a match due to injury. Irish key forward

Aishling Moloney Aishling Moloney (born 28 January 1998) is an Irish Australian rules footballer playing for the Geelong Football Club in the AFL Women's (AFLW). Career Originating from Cahir, County Tipperary as a gaelic footballer for Tipperary Ladies, Mo ...

had a standout season, kicking 21 goals to share the

AFL Women's leading goalkicker The AFL Women's leading goalkicker award is presented annually to the AFL Women's (AFLW) player who kicks the most goals during the home-and-away season. Winners Notes See also *Coleman Medal The Coleman Medal is an Australian rule ...

award with 's Taylor Smith. Moloney and Morrison would also gain selection in the initial squad for the

2024 AFL Women's All-Australian team The 2024 AFL Women's All-Australian team represents the best-performed players of the 2024 AFL Women's season. The team was announced on 25 November 2024 as a complete women's Australian rules football team of 21 players. Selection panel The ...

, with Moloney selected in the final squad at centre-half forward. Moloney would also receive nine votes in the

2024 AFL Women's best and fairest The 2024 AFL Women's best and fairest award was presented to the player adjudged the best and fairest player during the 2024 AFL Women's season. 's Ebony Marinoff won the award with 23 votes, equalling the league record tally set by 's Monique C ...

award count. The team's best win came in week 8 when they defeated the reigning premiers Brisbane at GMHBA Stadium by 10 points. Disappointingly Geelong was held goalless for the first time in their loss to in week 3. Nina Morrison won the club's

award with 138 votes, ahead of Aishling Moloney (98 votes) and 2023 winner

Georgie Prespakis Georgie Prespakis (born 13 March 2003) is an Australian rules footballer playing for Geelong Football Club in the AFL Women's (AFLW). Prespakis was selected in the 2022 AFL Women's season 7 All-Australian team and won the Geelong best and fai ...

(74 votes). Playing a midfield role, Morrison averaged 20.8 disposals, 7.1 tackles and 3.9 clearances per match, also kicking five goals for the season. Following the end of the season, Irish defender Anna-Rose Kennedy made the decision to return to Ireland for personal reasons.

Pre season

Before the start of the season in late August, the club participated in two preseason fixtures. The first a match simulation against at

Olympic Park Oval Olympic Park Oval is an Australian rules football ground located on the site of the former Olympic Park Stadium (Melbourne), Olympic Park Stadium in Olympic Park Stadium (Melbourne), Olympic Park, Melbourne. The Oval is primarily utilised as t ...

was played on 10 August, which Geelong won 4.5 (29) to 3.6 (24); that was followed on 17 August by an official practice match against at

Windy Hill Windy Hill or Windy Hills may refer to: Places * Windy Hill, Essendon, an Australian rules football ground in the Melbourne area * Windy Hill Wind Farm, a wind power station near Ravenshoe, Queensland, Australia * Windy Hill (Pennines), a hill on t ...

, where the club was defeated 3.5 (23) to 4.9 (33).

Coaching staff

Daniel Lowther Daniel Lowther (born 19 April 1977) is a former Australian rules footballer and current senior coach. During his playing days, Lowther played with Geelong in the Australian Football League (AFL); he now coaches in the AFL Women's (AFLW). Lowt ...

continued as head coach of the AFLW program for a fourth season. Continuing as assistant coaches were Andrew Bruce (forwards), Josh Finch (midfield), and Geelong VFL Women's coach Elise Coventry (defence). Current men's team player

Gary Rohan Gary Rohan (born 7 June 1991) is a former Australian rules footballer who played for the Sydney Swans and Geelong Cats in the Australian Football League (AFL). He is currently playing for Port Fairy in the Hampden League. Junior career Rohan ...

, former Geelong VFL player Will Sexton, continued as development coaches and were joined by Andrew Allthorpe.

Playing list

Changes

Statistics

''Updated as at the end of the season''

Results

Ladder

Awards

League awards

AFL Women's Leading Goalkicker The AFL Women's leading goalkicker award is presented annually to the AFL Women's (AFLW) player who kicks the most goals during the home-and-away season. Winners Notes See also *Coleman Medal The Coleman Medal is an Australian rule ...

(forward) * AFLPA

(midfield)

Club Awards

Best and fairest In Australian sport, the best and fairest award recognises the player(s) adjudged to have had the best performance in a game or over a season for a given sporting club or competition. The awards are sometimes dependent on not receiving a suspensi ...

* The 'Hoops' Award: Mikayla Bowen * Community Champion:

VFLW team

Season summary

Before the start of the

2024 VFL Women's season The 2024 VFL Women's season was the eighth season of the VFL Women's (VFLW), the state-level senior women's Australian rules football competition in Victoria. The season ran from 22 March to 21 July, comprising a home-and-away season, followed by ...

, Geelong nominated Abby Favell, Liv Stewart and Poppy Schaap as a three-person leadership group with no formal captain or vice-captain roles. Geelong were held goalless for the third (round 2), fourth (round 8), and fifth (round 12) times in the club's history in the VFLW, registering their lowest score of 0.1 (1) against at Deakin University Elite Sports Precinct. It was a disappointing campaign for the club, with the team finishing last on the ladder with just three wins for the season. 49 players would play at least one match for the team, including 31 debutants. Midfielder Lily Jordan won the best and fairest award with 57 votes, ahead of Breanna Pratt and Poppy Schaap. Molly Walton was awarded the Hoops Award which was presented in the VFLW program for the first time, while Mia Fuller won the player-voted Cats Value Award.

Results

Ladder

Awards

Club Awards

*Best and Fairest: Lily Jordan *The Hoops Award: Molly Walton *Cats Values Award: Mia Fuller

Notes

References

External links

Official website
of the

Geelong Football Club The Geelong Football Club, nicknamed the Cats, is a professional Australian rules football club based at Kardinia Park in South Geelong, Victoria, Australia. The club competes in the Australian Football League (AFL), the sport's premier comp ...

{{2024 AFL Women's season

2024 The year saw the list of ongoing armed conflicts, continuation of major armed conflicts, including the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Myanmar civil war (2021–present), Myanmar civil war, the Sudanese civil war (2023–present), Sudane ...

Geelong Geelong ( ) (Wathawurrung language, Wathawurrung: ''Djilang''/''Djalang'') is a port city in Victoria, Australia, located at the eastern end of Corio Bay (the smaller western portion of Port Phillip Bay) and the left bank of Barwon River (Victo ...

GeelongFootballClub